1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vacuum boring and mud recovery system comprising a device which will create a vacuum condition within a container, a conduit to transport a liquid and solid particles into the vacuum container, a dispensing device to dispense a liquid or a solid from the vacuum container without eliminating the vacuum environment within the vacuum container, and said vacuum container having the ability to fill, store and dispense its contents simultaneously. Said vacuum container further comprises a means to separate a liquid from solid particles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Current state of the art vacuum boring and mud recovery systems have a vacuum container having the ability to be filled and store liquid and solid particles. After filling said vacuum container to a predetermined capacity, the vacuum producing device must be discontinued, the filling must discontinue, the vacuum environment within the vacuum container is eliminated, the container opened and the contents dumped out. After the container is emptied, the vacuum producing device may be restarted and the filling and storing may restart. Currently, vacuum containers capable of vacuuming mud and boring earth are operated as a batch process.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a vacuum container having a vacuum capable of boring and mud recovery and provide simultaneously, vacuum fill, store and dispense. It is yet another objective of the invention to provide a means of separating the stored contents by predetermined category and dispensing them without stopping the vacuum fill and store operation or eliminating the vacuum environment within the vacuum container.
The above described objectives and others are met by a vacuum container equipped with a vacuum producing device, a filling conduit and a dispensing device having the means to dispense a liquid or solid particles from the vacuum container without eliminating the vacuum environment within the vacuum container.
A separating device may be added within the vacuum container which has the ability to separate the liquid and solid particles by predetermined category. The separating device can include a filter, a stationary screen, a vibrating screen, a centrifuge, a hydrocyclone or a combination thereof.
At least one or more dispensing devices may be attached to the vacuum container.
The dispensing device may utilize a dual valve technique, a dual piston technique, a rotary void technique, other techniques or a combination thereof to create the void filling and dispensing device. The dispensing void utilized to remove the solids and or liquids from the vacuum tank, without substantially depleting the vacuum environment within the vacuum tank, can include a progressive cavity pump, a diaphragm pump, a gear pump, a grinder, a vane axial pump and check valve.